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Overview

Griffis personifies destructive fire as a hungry spirit living in a volcano southwest of Seoul. It eats combustible things, consumes rock and expels lava, and particularly desires the royal palace. It travels with the South Wind, depicted as a female companion, and destroys the palace twice. After the first fire, a Chinese rain dragon is brought to guard the city, but its negligence allows the second fire.

An artificial pond weakens its next attack. A monstrous stone guardian finally frightens it away by turning its head and preparing to devour it. These are events in the author’s English tale, not independently established volcanic geography or a documented sequence of palace fires. Fire Spirit, Fire Imp and Fire Monster refer here to the same antagonist.

Volcanic fire-being who consumes royal buildingsExact literary telling
01

Origins & earliest records

Korean tale in an English literary retelling

02

Records & interpretation

Full relevant tale and collection preface directly read.

Selected bibliography

Documented works and useful reading. This is not a list of every appearance.

  1. 01

    Korean Fairy Tales

    William Elliot Griffis · 1922

    The Great Stone Fire Eater, pp. 102–109

Family & connections

A source-supported family tree or inspiration record has not yet been compiled for this profile. Related reading below indicates a connection in subject matter, not a proven lineage or creative influence.

Primary records and illustrations

Direct primary record

William Elliot Griffis, Korean Fairy Tales (1922 edition)

English literary collection. The Great Stone Fire Eater, pp. 102–109

Whole chapter and preface read; no named original-language narrator. Figurative comparisons distinguished from literal anatomy, and cultural/geographical assertions not independently adopted.

Inspect the digitized plate · Source collection manifest

References

Sources supporting this profile. Linked pages have their own scope and editorial standards.

  1. Historical tale collectionGriffis, Korean Fairy Tales, The Great Stone Fire Eater, pp. 102–109Research access: 2026-10-05

Image credits

A sourced illustration has not yet been added. This gap is included in the coverage record.

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